Brassiere



R. C. COLE BRASSIERE Oct. 3, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed March l5, 1959 ll ,in

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INVENTOR gagna/ld Ue' /gpuoqh/ORNEY R. C. COLE BRASSIERE Oct. 3, 1961 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March l5. 1959 Y INVENTOR aymwul.' ble ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,002,516 BRASSIERE Raymond C. Cole, Dover, Del., assignor to International Latex Corporation, Dover, Del., a corporation of Delaware Filed Mar. 13, 1959, Ser. No. 799,350 3 Claims. (Cl. 12S-484) This invention relates to new and improved brassiere construction of the type which supports the under portion of each breast cup to mold and hold the breast of the human female in a -desired shape, during various movements of the wearer.

Heretofore brassieres with elastic underbust support panels have been proposed, such as in U.S\, Patent 2,560,- 706. However, these stretchable panels and their seamed construction are designed for exerting a different pull or uplift action on one side of the breast cups than on the other, rather than a uniform underbust supporting and shaping action. In other constructions laminated underbust support panels have been located on the inside ofthe breast cups of the brassiere. A smooth unbroken breast-contacting surface is not provided by such construction.

This invention contemplates a brassiere construction that will` permit the use of relatively heavy and stiff panels of relatively nonstretchable, material, which can be laminated, as outside underbust support panels. The support panels of this invention provide excellent support as Well as aid in the molding and spacing of the breast. The problem arises in that these almost non- Stretchable panels must provide strong support at the bottom and yet avoid digging in or sagging out at their top edge; and then must be able to conform to conical shapes, which require only single curvature, as Well as to spherical shapes, which require compound curvature.

Generally stated, the present invention attains the objective primarily by providing a heavy almost nonstretchable panel whose two farthermost points are anchored yat stress centers of the brassiere, thus providing a median primary stress line catenary. The bottom edge of the panel is slightly gathered by a pre-stretched elastic strip forming the lower Vr'narginal frontal portion of the brassiere, and the top edge-has its stress line broken by angled strain vectors in the thick seam lines which provide what might be called an inverse toggle relationship for the top edge, with the strong seam lines acting through a dog-leg conguration, and the only direct vector being through soft yielding material. Thus, a simple panel of heavy, almost nonstretchable material, is made-through the configuration of the assembly-to have the virtual characteristics of being relatively unyielding at its bottom edge, lslightlyconformable along its median line, and resilient along its top edge, ,soV as to both support firmly and conform gently, and of being able to adapt to a conical ora spherical breast contour.

'The present invention lresides primarily in construction of the front section of the brassiere. Generally it comprises a pair of breast receiving cups, each provided with an external uplift panel of iiexible substantially inelastic material heavier than the cup material and covering aportion only of thel lowe1 half of each breast cup. Each of the panels extends from the base of the breast cup to dene upper edge portions joined to the breast cup approximatelyl on the horizontal median line of the cup in the regionsv of the marginal sides and the @ICC center of the front section. Each panel has an intermediate concave -free upper edge portion extending arcuately downwardly below the horizontal median of each breast cup to provide uplift at the lower portion of the lower half of the breast cup. Each of the panels is attached to its respective breast cup along its marginal edges at the sides, bases, and the upper edges thereof, except at the unattached concave upper edge portion. This forms in effect an underbust-supporting Sling, the ends of which are the upper edge portions anchored along the horizontal median line of the breast cups. A firm unyielding underbust uplift results, while the panel permits the breast cup to conform itself to varying bust shapes. Y

Advantageously, the slightly gathered pre-stretched elastic strip can be in the form of a shallow inverted V having its apex attached to the point where the bottom inside edges of the breast cup meet to provide downwardly directed diagonal elastic strips. These diagonal strips, particularly when stretched in a downwardly and outwardly direction from the vertical center line of the brassiere, provide a hinge-like action which permits the diagonal elastic strips to hug the body in the region of the diaphragm, thus allowing the substantially nonstretchable panels (one onthe underside of each breast cup) to function to control and retain the breast in its molded form during varied exertive motions of the body of the wearer.

Additional objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and claims when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing wherein:

FIGURE l is a view in perspective of my invention showing the front of the brassiere with lines of stress indicated when on the body of a wearer;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation showing the support panel supporting the heavy underportion of the breast;

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3 3 of FIGURE l showing the construction of the support panel;

FIGURE 4 is a front elevational view showing the front panel of the brassiere in `an inverted V formation;

FIGURE 5 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of FIGURE 4 showing the construction of the support panels.

In the drawings, the breast receiving cups of the brassiere of the invention are generally indicated by the reference numeral 10 and joined to each otherV in front along an inner peripheral line 11.V The outer sides of the breast cups are joined to side and back bands 12, 13, which advantageously meet 4in back and are secured in place by fastener elements 14, 15, in the form of hooks and eyes attached to short pieces of elastic tape. Shoulder straps 16, 17 are provided to help maintain the brassiere in proper position on the wearer.

Each cup outline is formed as a pentagon, having a generally diagonal strip or tape 18, 19, of longitudinally elastic material, meeting along a line to form a shallow inverted V-angle. Above strips 18 and 19 and secured thereto are lower half-cups 20, 21 of soft lightweight cloth. Upper half-cup 22, 23 of cloth is also provided, the two half-cups being joined along a generally horizontal seam 24, 25 to form breast cups 10. Panels 26, 27 are provided to serve as under-bust supports, one for each breast cup (see FIGURE 1). 'Y

Each panel 26, 27 is of material heavier and stiffer than the cloth of which the upper and lower half-cups are made, and is relatively unstretchable. Advantageously, the panel material is laminated as follows: A base is provided by cloth having threads 26a, 26h woven at right angles to each other. As applied in the linished product, these threads run horizontally and vertically. An embroidered design, of designers choice, can be applied to the front surface to give the material a more lustrous effect, usually of a low-twist thread, which may be of rayon. To the back surface of the cloth base is applied an adhesive which will resist washing in warm water, and to that adhesive is applied a flocking of fibers 26e whose average length bridges at least one repeat of warp and Woof pattern of the woven cloth (see FIGURE 5). There is thus provided a relatively heavy and stiff exible laminated panel, that (for the forces here involved) is virtually unstretchable horizontally and vertically, and which can be slightly stretched (with some tendency to hold the stretch deformation) in the diagonal directions, but which is capable of adjusting its contoured form to accommodate for slight movements of the underportion of the breast.

An added feature is the provision of edge tapes 26d, 27d at the top edges of the panels 26, 27. This tape, as seen in FIGURE 3, is folded over and sewed to the back of the support panel at its top edge. This tape provides a soft, thinly padded top edge to the support panel, thereby further preventing any cutting in, and also preventing stretch-sagging of the top edge, confining the give along that line to geometrical arrangements beyond its ends.

Panels 26, 27 extend across approximately the lower quarter of the breast cups. The lower marginal edges of these panels are sewed at 28, 29 to the longitudinally elastic strip, with the upper edge of the strip longitudinally stretched out a small amount at the time the panel and strip are sewed together. As a result, the strip in its natural unstretched state tends to gather the bottom edge of the panel in a fairly uniform manner throughout its length, tending toward giving the panel a bowed out shape, so that instead of being Hat and planar it tends to assume an out-of-plane bow to conform to the shape of the underportion of the breast cup. The upper edge of the panel is arcuate, concave upwardly, and at both ends intersects, and advantageously terminates at, the horizontal cup seam. The point 30, 31, where this intersection occurs at each end, is such that the continuation of the curve of the arcuate upper edge of the panel would intersect the upper edge selva-ge 32, 33, of the cup, which is supported in catenary fashion by the shoulder strap, at a point 34, 35, on each side of the cup approximately at, or just inboard of, the intersection of the top edge of the cup with the side seam. The side seam 36, 37, is approximately vertical, and along its essentially straight line there terminate the outer ends of the top and bottom cup halves, the end of the relatively heavy panel, and the end of the elastic tape. At points on that line all these except the elastic tape ends meet, together with the seams 24 and 25, forming a stress center.

In the drawings at the inner end of the cup, the construction of one cup member meets that of the other cup member. Here the ends of the upper cup halves, the ends of the lower cup halves, the ends of the relatively heavy panels, and the ends of the elastic tape, are all securely fastened together in essentially a straight vertical seam 38. The horizontal seam that joins the upper and lower cup halves runs at right angles through the last mentioned vertical seam line. The intersection forms a solidly secured point 39, which serves as the inner anchorage of the main stress line of the relatively heavy panel. Thus, the two farthest-spaced points of the relatively heavy panel are anchored at stress centers, forming a stress line through the median of the panel, as indicated at 40, 41 (see FIGURE l).

As seen most clearly in FIGURE 2, the median stress line, terminating directly at main stress anchor points, provides a sling that carries the greatest load. Along this median stress line, the panel is heavily stressed and relatively unvarying in action. Some conformability is provided in that the end portions of the stress lines run diagonally of the weave of the panel, thus permitting some stretching toward the ends and none in the middle. This permits conformation with minimum sagging.

The top and bottom edges are more lightly stressed, the bottom because less stress is applied to it and because the seam 28, 29, where it joins the elastic strip 18, 19, helps resist the stress and the top because its relatively oating anchorages at 30, 31, allow it to yield enough to throw the main stress onto the line 40, 41, running between the fixed stress centers of the construction.

Because the heavy load is taken along the median line, and the top and bottom edges pull in with light resiliency, the panel can conform to either a spherical or a conical bust shape, and whether the center stress is light or heavy the top and bottom edges will conform without either gapping out or cutting in.

The arrangement of elastic strips 18, 19, attached to the bottom of the lower half-cups, as heretofore described, in a diagonal manner to form a shallow inverted V, provides a hinging action cooperating with the support panels to allow for a high degree of conformity of the panels to the individual shape of the breast. When the heavy load is taken along the median line and the top and bottom edges pull in with light resiliency, the panel is permitted a greater degree of conformability by the hinge action while still maintaining the elastic strips in hugging relationship against the diaphragm and along a line directly under the base of the breast. Such a construction provides the maximum degree of comfort by anchoring the bottom frontal portion of the brassere to the body while still allowing adjustable shaping and conforming of the breast.

Thus it is seen that I have provided a construction incorporating a relatively rm underbust support panel of material that is nearly unstretchable in such use, which will conform smoothly to a spherical bust by experiencing heavy stressing through its median sling line and light stressing to bow the top and bottom edges up into spherical compound curvature, and which conforms with approximately uniform stress throughout when a conical, single-curvature, surface configuration is assumed, and hinged-like strips which cooperate with the panel to bring about the results heretofore stated.

It is to be understood that the embodiments of the invention shown and described herein are for the purpose of illustration only, and that changes can be made therein without departing from the spin't and scope of the invention.

I claim:

l. A brassere comprising a front section having a pair of breast receiving cups, each cup having an external panel of flexible substantially inelastic material covering a portion only of the lower half of each breast cup, each said panel extending from the base of the breast cup to dene upper edge portions joined to the breast cup approximately at the horizontal median line of the cup in the regions of the marginal sides and the center of said front section, and each panel having an intermediate concave free upper edge portion extending arcuately downwardly below the horizontal median of said breast cup to provide an uplift at the lower portion of the lower half of the breast cup, each said panel also being attached to its respective breast cup along its marginal side and bottom edges, thereby forming an underbust-supporting sling anchored on the horizontal median of said cup and adapted to conform to varying bust shapes.

2. A brassere according to claim 1 having an elastic strip forming the bottom of said front section connected to the bases of the breast cups and the bottom edges of the panels.

3. A brassiere according to claim 2 in which the elastic strip is in the form of a at inverted V and is prestretched when united to the breast cups and panels.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,961,048 Jacob May 29, 1934 6 Hollar Nov. 17, 1936 Bergmann Aug. 30, 1938 Bullinger Oct. 7, 1941 Glick Apr. 26, 1949 Amyot Oct. 17, 1950 Spetalnik July 17, 1951 Kurland Feb. 13, 1952 Hunau Sept. 23, 1958 DiTullio Feb. 2, 1960 

